


all she's ever asked for

by kornevable



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Family, Gen, Post-Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-05 14:43:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18830776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kornevable/pseuds/kornevable
Summary: She grew up being everyone's big sister, but she is first and foremost Squall's, who is in dire need to reconnect with his family.





	all she's ever asked for

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I played myself by thinking about an FF8 AU for another fandom and now I'm having feels. I never thought I'd write about Ellone one day, but here I am asljsk

"No."

"I promise it will be fun."

"No."

"Aren't you a little bit curious?"

"No."

"Squall, I hope your vocabulary hasn't shrunk to this single word."

"...It didn't."

Ellone sighs, but there is a smile on her face as she leads Squall towards the cafeteria. After everything has settled down following their victory, she hasn't had the opportunity to spend time with him, like they used to when they were children. She grew up being everyone's big sister, but she is first and foremost Squall's, who is in dire need to reconnect with his family.

"Uncle Laguna has scheduled a visit to the Garden next week," she says. "Cid appointed Selphie to organize a party to welcome him. And Selphie asked me to convince you to come."

"Of course she did," Squall grumbles. "I'm not interested."

"Everyone else is going, too."

Selphie made sure Irvine and Zell helped her, and Quistis felt an obligation to attend since she's the most level-headed one. Rinoa will most certainly go, since she likes being with her friends. So, that really only left Squall, who is being incredibly difficult (which isn't that surprising), but Ellone can't truly fault him for that either.

"Just tell me why you don't want to go," she gently suggests.

She's still holding his hand, even if it draws people's eyes on them—Squall Leonhart, the Seed Commander, with yet another girl? She won't let go until she gets a satisfactory answer (she won't let go ever again). They get in line to buy something that is not hot dogs, which are mysteriously always out of stock, even after Zell repeatedly requested a bigger stock. Squall gives a slight squeeze, trying to gather his thoughts and his words, as he averts his eyes. Ellone is patient; she knows how hard it is for him to willingly express what he's feeling, and that wouldn't be the first time she is waiting for him to open his heart.

"I just...don't know what to say to him," he finally mumbles. “We have nothing in common. And he's an idiot.”

Ellone chuckles, shaking her head but not unkindly. “Oh Squall, you know he will talk enough for the two of you. He simply wants to get to know you better.”

Squall visibly swallows and keeps looking away. “How can I accept him in my life when he was gone for its entirety?”

Ellone stays quiet. She remembers long nights of children talking about families and adopted parents, about the happiness they will bring if someone came to take them away, about the life they would get. She remembers little Squall asking if he had parents, since she kept mentioning Raine, her old caretaker, and how sweet she was. She never found the courage to tell him he did, for them to never come.

“I'm sorry,” she whispers, her grip on Squall's hand tightening. “It wasn't fair to you. We can't spring that on you and expect a miracle to happen. I guess we were too confident in putting our family back together.”

Squall heaves a sigh, passing his other hand over his face, visibly at a loss. The last time Ellone asked him if he wanted to have a big happy family was when he was six, or seven, she can't remember; his perception on the topic probably changed, since he grew up mostly to fight and didn't have the luxury to wonder what it was like to be surrounded by people he loved. She swallows the guilt and represses the urge to take him in her arms.

“I didn't know how to react when he told me,” he says. “So we left it at that. I'm sure he'll bring it up if I see him.”

“Do you want him to?”

The line is moving. Squall draws back and puts his hands in the pockets of his pants uniform. “I don't know. Whatever.”

This isn't outright rejection, Ellone guesses. That would have been his answer too if he truly wanted Uncle Laguna to talk about it; from her perspective of things, Squall only needs a little push to try accepting this new knowledge in his life. She smiles.

“He won't force you to act like the son you never were. He doesn't even know what kind of father he should be. Start by being civil and go from there?”

Uncle Laguna is the one in danger of embarrassing himself by speaking, but giving advice to Squall isn't unwarranted.

“...I'll try,” he replies, deeply frowning. “Can't guarantee anything.”

Ellone laughs, patting him on the shoulder. “It's better than nothing. I'm glad.”

That doesn't mean it will work out, but she believes it eventually will. And in any case, she has both of them besides her, now, and that's all she's ever asked for.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> // [twitter](https://twitter.com/kornetable)


End file.
